CHILDREN at Mildura Primary School have a reason to celebrate this week after being gifted $10,000 in new books.

As part of the Dymocks Children's Charities, philanthropist Sophie Ratnatunga selected the local primary school to be part of the Library Regeneration Program.

About half of the donation will go towards helping every student take home their own book and 'birdie' bookbag. The bookbags take their name from Ms Ratnatunga's mother-in-law, Eileen "Birdie" Ratnatunga, whose passion for children's literacy was the inspiration behind the book program.

"Kids taking a book home to keep on their shelf at home," she said. "I can't put into words what it means to me that they'll have another book to take home with them.

"Having a beautiful, hardcover book that are brand new and by amazing authors will, of course, encourage them to read."

The other half of the donation will help to aid in restocking the school's library.

"$5000 is a lot of books for us," the Assistant Principal at Mildura Primary School, Sommar Briggs said. "To be gifted that much purely for books for kids to select and having that extra choice in the library is phenomenal."

Ms Briggs said the gift was "very moving" and that the school was "beyond grateful" for the gift.